In
general terms, the Romans
coined the name 'Gaul' to describe the
Celtic tribes of what is now
central, northern and eastern
France. The Gauls were
divided from the
Belgae to the north
by the Marne and the Seine, and from the Aquitani to the south by the River
Garonne. By the middle of the first century BC, the Ambarri were located
along the River Sa˘ne (also known to the ancients as the Arar), a tributary
of the Rhone, to the immediate north-west of Lake Geneva. They were
neighboured to the north by the
Sequani and
Aeduii, to the east by the
Helvetii, to the south
by the Allobroges, and
to the west by the Segusiavi.

The best explanation for the origin of the tribe's name is that it breaks
down into 'ambi', meaning 'both sides', and 'arar'. In other words they
lived on both sides of the River Arar (the Sa˘ne). The river's modern name
descends from a river goddess who also gave her name to the nearby Sequani
tribe. Similar 'both sides' tribal names are those of the
Ambidravi,
Ambisontes, and
Ambitouti.

The Ambarri may have been a client tribe of the Aeduii or, according to one
theory, one and the same as the Aeduii, the names being combined as Aeduii
Ambarri. The latter theory gains weight when it is realised that the Ambarri
were not counted as a client tribe of the Aeduii by Julius Caesar. Livy
mentions them as part of the wave of Celts that entered northern
Italy during
the kingdom of
Rome
period. Those Ambarri were also alongside the Aeduii, further linking the
two.

(Information by Peter Kessler and Edward Dawson, with additional
information from The History of Rome, Volume 1, Titus Livius,
translated by Rev Canon Roberts, from The La Tene Celtic Belgae
Tribes in England: Y-Chromosome Haplogroup R-U152 - Hypothesis C,
David K Faux, from A Genetic Signal of Central European Celtic
Ancestry, David K Faux, from Celts and the Classical World,
David Rankin, from The Civilisation of the East, Fritz Hommel
(Translated by J H Loewe, Elibron Classic Series, 2005), from
Europe Before History, Kristian Kristiansen, and from
External Links:
The
Works of Julius Caesar: Gallic Wars and
Perseus
Digital Library.)

c.600 BC

The first century BC writer, Livy (Titus Livius Patavinus), writes of an
invasion into
Italy
of Celts during
the reign of Lucius Tarquinius Priscus, king of
Rome.
As archaeology seems to point to a start date of around 500 BC for the
beginning of a serious wave of Celtic incursions into Italy, this event has
either been misremembered by later Romans or is an early precursor to the
main wave of incursions. Livy writes that two centuries before major Celtic
attacks take place against
Etruscans
and Romans in Italy, a first wave of invaders from Gaul fights many battles
against the Etruscans who dwell between the Apennines and the Alps.

An idealised illustration of Gauls on an expedition, from A
Popular History of France From The Earliest Times Volume I
by Francois Pierre Guillaume Guizot

At this time, the Bituriges
are the supreme power amongst the Celts (who already occupy a third of the
whole of Gaul). Livy understands that this tribe had formerly supplied the
king for the whole Celtic race, either suggesting a previously more central
governance of the Celts that is now beginning to fragment or the typical
assumption that one powerful king rules an entire people. The prosperous and
courageous, but now-elderly Ambigatus is the ruler of the Bituriges, and
over-population means a division of its number is required. Ambigatus sends
his sister's sons, Bellovesus and Segovesus, to settle new lands with enough
men behind them to put down any opposition. Bellovesus
heads towards Italy, inviting fellow settlers to join him from six tribes, the
Aeduii, Ambarri,
Arverni,
Aulerci, Bituriges,
Carnutes, and
Senones.

The Aeduii confederation is shown here, around 100 BC, with
borders approximate and fairly conjectural, based on the locations
of the tribes half a century later - it can be seen that the
Aulerci at least migrate farther north-west during that time,
although the remainder largely stay put (click or tap on map to view
full sized)

58 BC

The Helvetii are ravaging
southern Gaul and the
Romans
are preparing to face them in battle. Caught in the crossfire, the Ambarri and
Allobroges call on
Julius Caesar for aid as they have lost all their crops, towns have been
laid waste, and their children have been carried off into slavery. Caesar
realises that he has to push forward his plans for battle, and the resulting
encounter at Bibracte sees the Helvetii mercilessly crushed by six
Roman legions. Their shattered remnants are forced back to their homeland,
setting in motion a train of events that will eventually result in all of
Gaul being captured by Rome, and the history of its population of
Celts
being tied to that of the empire.